Friday 25 June 2010

AZZURRI GO 'HOME IN SHAME'


It's left for Slovakia and Spain to battle it out for the SportTrades Tom Daley Trophy. Thank you to our friends at Sporting Life for this report.





The Italian press pulled no punches on Friday morning as they dissected the Azzurri's World Cup failure.

Marcello Lippi's men failed to negotiate a passage through the group phase in South Africa after losing 3-2 to Slovakia on Thursday in what was a weak defence of the trophy they won four years ago in Germany.

Gazzetta dello Sport led the condemnation with a headline of: "Humiliated by Slovakia, time to go home."

They also added: "Home in shame."

Corriere dello Sport continued in a similar vein with: "Italy, what shame! Out and last in the group."

Italy's leading broadsheet Corriere della Sera carried the story on its front page under the headline: "Italy, farewell to the World Cup.

In a special World Cup link, the paper added: "Disastrous Italy, the Azzurri go home.

La Repubblica focused more on the impact the failure would have on a country obsessed by football.

"Shame and tears, a nation to be rebuilt," said its headline, before adding: "Slovakia win 3-2 in Johannesburg to knock the Azzurri out in the first round, something that has not happened since 1974.

"We now look to (new coach Cesare) Prandelli."

Turin-based La Stampa blamed Lippi for the team's poor showing.

Their headline read: "The failure of Lippi in South Africa.

"The blackest page of our footballing history."

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